Shirayukihime and The Lost Fox

Chapter 22: To Find A Prince

Akira POV

"How does this work again?" Mika asks, tapping his pencil against the desk. His hand reaches up to lightly grip his straw blonde hair as his brows knit in confusion. I look up from my novel to him before looking down at his math homework. I pluck the pencil from his hand and write out how the problem went. "You missed this part, it's not added, subtracted," I mumble absently.

He leans back in his seat, watching what I was doing and listening intently on my advice. Once I was done and set the pencil back on the desk, he smiles his goofy smile. "I'm blessed to have you as a friend," he chuckles. "Why are you so smart?"

"Because you're not," I say smoothly. Mika laughs heartily, clutching his stomach. I let a smile slip as I watch him. Once he calms down, he looks at me with a smirk. "That's another reason I wanted you as a friend."

We both laugh. A moment later our chuckles were cut short by stomping boots in the hallway. We glance at each other before returning to the open door of the classroom. We both knew no one else should be here, not even the janitor. The sun was setting, casting a warm glow through the wall of windows and bathing the room in light. We were totally alone, or we should be.

The footfalls grew closer until they were just outside the doorway and a figure saunters through. My original giddy smile falls off my face, being replaced with a mask of indifference towards the figure. "Well, well," the boy says with a hint of arrogance. "Look who it is. It's the freak and his little lost foreigner."

I knew who this was better than I would have liked. The boy stood with an infuriating air of smug confidence, his two lackeys looking over his shoulders from the hallway. This was the group that the school deemed as delinquents, though they were far from it. All they really did is just scare people through appearances, nothing more. But their leader, nicknamed Oni, is different.

For one thing, he knows how to fight and fight properly. Second, he's a rich bastard that the school is too afraid to kick out because of his family wealth. For some odd reason, Oni views me as a threat to his gang status as leader even though I would never dream of becoming part of their so-called delinquent gangs. Thus, almost monthly, he has made it his duty to challenge me to a fight. No weapons, one on one, no hold backs.

"Oh my, look what mutt dragged in," I say in a bored tone, resting my head in my hand. I cross my legs to make myself more at ease and make a point not to look at him, instead turning back to my novel to continue reading. I knew this pissed him off, and it was the whole reason for doing it.

Mika looks worriedly between myself and the group at the door. Oni growls, his jaw ticking. "We have business to finish, freak," he growls out, fisting his hands at his sides. "We're taking this outside."

I sigh and stand up, knowing he wasn't going to let this go. I turn to Mika, who was visually uncomfortable and worried. "You should go on home, Mika," I say with a reassuring smile. He glances from me to the boys at the door. "Will you be alright?" He asks.

I snort. "You should be more worried about the mutt at the door." I smile slightly, amused when Oni's face goes red, gritting is teeth and glares at me, growling, "You cocky bastard."

I mockingly swing my arms from side to side as if I was warming up for a fight. "You know," I say as I crack my neck, "I wouldn't mind bringing your ego down a rung or two. It would do you some good." I smirk as he tries to withhold himself. Instead of charging me like I thought he would, he turns around and pushes through his goons. The two at the door come towards me, obviously there to escort me outside.

I couldn't hold back my smirk as I follow them to the door. "Be careful, alright?" Mika calls towards my retreating back. I glance at him over my shoulder, but say nothing as I smile at him. I turn back towards the door and simply raise my hand in a show of acknowledgement.

"Oh no!" My eyes shoot open from my reminiscing. I look down from my perch in a tree to observe Shirayuki looking through her bag feverishly. "I must have left the encyclopedia at the castle. I guess I'll need to go back."

My eyes widen as I think about the events of the anime, especially episode three. If I am correct, there was attempts at pushing her out of the castle to stay away from Zen. Quickly, I jump from the branch and land in a crouched position. "I'll go with you." I try to say it as calm and inconspicuous as possible, but it came out more rushed than I wanted.

Shirayuki raises an eyebrow questioningly but lets it go as she walks away with me trailing behind her like a lost pet. The guards at the gate had no qualms about letting us back into the palace, but as soon as we rounded the corner, we heard a confident voice speak to the guards. "By order of Prince Zen of Clarines, the red haired girl and the multicolored eyed boy accompanying her known as Shirayuki and Akira will here on no longer be allowed in the palace." We both freeze in our steps, waiting in silence to hear what else had to be said.

"What?!" The younger guard shouts. "But they're guests of the prince!" The confident and calmer voice responds, "They have been revoked of their status as guests. The prince had made a hard decision on this with the aide of his advisors. Please don't make this any harder on him."

There was a lull in their conversation as the man's boots scuff on the floor, turning around and walking in our general direction. "Wait," the more mature guard calls out to him. "If this is so, then you should know that we just let them through a few minutes ago."

"What?" I quickly tap on Shirayuki's shoulder, indicating we should leave. I could tell that she was thinking the same thing and we quickly run off deeper into the castle.

"What now?" I ask her, keeping pace with her. She doesn't look at me, instead focusing on going wherever we were heading. "That didn't sound like Zen," Shirayuki states, slightly breathless. "I need to hear it from him directly."

I nod and turn my attention back to the hallway. "To see your Prince Charming, then."